As we move into the fifth month of the year, how are you doing with your New Year’s resolutions? How is it going with developing new healthy habits?
Hopefully, you haven’t canceled your gym membership yet! If you’ve already considered skipping a workout this month, you may need some extra reason to keep going.
And, while we are not professionals in the subject, we have compiled a list of fitness facts that will perhaps serve as a reminder of why you started in the first place.
In essence, fitness is about remaining active. Whether you want to become a gym rat (or bunny!) or simply take more steps during the day, fitness facts will help you keep on track.
Facts about exercise are essentially evidence-based fitness suggestions. As a result, if you don’t accept everything you read on the internet (as you should), entertaining facts about fitness backed up by science may be more motivating than the numerous gym and fitness quotes you find online.
We’ve created a list of interesting fitness facts backed by research for that extra kick of your week that you may not be aware of. Did any of these surprising fitness facts surprise you?
Let us know by upvoting them! Have you come across any facts that may be out of date or with which you disagree? Please share your ideas in the comments below!
#1 Dance is an excellent kind of exercise.
The finest exercise is one that you can motivate yourself to do repeatedly. Dancing makes being active easier and more enjoyable. Furthermore, it promotes cardiovascular health in the same way that jogging and cycling do.
#2 Exercise can be therapeutic for those suffering from depression.
Antidepressant medicines are commonly used to treat depression, which affects one out of every ten persons in the United States. However, medication is not the only choice. According to the study, exercise has also been shown to be therapeutic. However, while exercise, like medications, can help some people, it is insufficient for those suffering from severe depression.
#3 Music can boost your training performance.
Over the last ten years, there has been a huge increase in the amount of study on workout music, which has helped psychologists better understand why exercise and music are such a strong combination for many people.
Music elevates mood, reduces perceived effort, increases endurance, diverts attention away from pain and tiredness, and may even improve metabolic efficiency.
People run, bike, and swim faster when they listen to music, frequently without even recognizing it. In fact, studies found that runners who listened to happy music throughout a race finished faster than those who did not.
#4 Exercise may benefit everyone, regardless of age, shape, or size.
Age, ability, race, form, or size are unimportant when it comes to reaping the health advantages of physical activity. Anyone who spends less time sitting and instead exercises in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity benefits from it, even if the benefits are not immediately evident.
#5 Type 2 diabetes can be prevented and managed through regular exercise and a healthy diet.
Regular physical activity has been shown to enhance blood glucose management, prevent or postpone type 2 diabetes, and have a good impact on lipids, blood pressure, cardiovascular events, mortality, and overall quality of life.
#6 Just 10 minutes of exercise can help you become healthier and fitter.
Compared to a control group, overweight or obese women who were normally inactive improved their cardiovascular health by walking for 10 to 15 minutes per day.
In a second study of sedentary men, it was revealed that cycling for 10 minutes at a moderate tempo and then for 1 minute at a high intensity had the same effect on oxygen uptake as exercising for 50 minutes at a moderate pace.
After the 12-week study, both groups showed identical fitness increases and outperformed the control group. These findings reinforce the notion that even brief exercise can improve your health, particularly if you are not already active.
#7 Regular weight training increases the number of calories burned during the day.
Studies that compare the precise calorie expenditure of muscle to fat are unusual because accurate measurements would be difficult to obtain.
However, one study discovered that muscle accounts for approximately 20% of the total calories burned each day, whereas fat accounts for only 5%.
Another study, including inactive adult women, found that resistance exercise enhanced their basal metabolic rate (BMR) for up to 48 hours.
#8 Just doing crunches won’t slim the midsection.
Abdominal exercises can make you appear thinner by strengthening your core. However, core exercises alone will not remove stubborn belly fat. According to research, indulging in cardiovascular exercises such as brisk walking, running, and biking for 20–40 minutes each day will help you lose weight around your waist.
#9 Muscle mass declines by 3-8% per decade after age 30.
Sarcopenia, or the involuntary loss of muscle mass, strength, and function, is one of the most obvious signs of aging. After the age of 30, muscle mass falls by approximately 3–8% per decade. After 60, the rate of decline accelerates.
Body composition scales can help you stay on target. Either buy one for yourself or utilize one at the gym. There’s a lot of useful technology to help you stay in shape.
#10 The ‘Core’ refers to muscles that attach to the pelvis, spine, and ribs.
Core training is frequently connected with sculpting its most visible part, the abs. However, “core” refers to multiple muscle groups, not simply one. Training your core can give you more than just a six-pack (though that’s a nice plus); it may also improve your general strength, power, and athleticism while decreasing your risk of injury. According to Sports MD, the core is made up of up to 35 different muscle groups that link to the pelvis from the spine and hip region.
#11: Exercise is essential from a young age.
According to studies, sedentary children are more likely to become inactive adults, increasing the risk of serious illnesses such as cancer and heart disease. This is why encouraging health and activity from an early age is critical.
They should incorporate yoga classes for children in schools. It would help them focus and relax.
#12: Weightlifting does not typically result in muscle gain in women.
The assumption that lifting heavy weights will result in a bulky physique is a common misconception, especially among women. Hard lifting does promote muscle hypertrophy, resulting in an increase in size. It is incorrect, however, that it produces a “bulky” appearance.
Women’s hormone profiles differ from men’s, so they will be unable to bulk up in the same way that men can. In men, testosterone levels are higher, which promotes muscle growth. Fortunately and unfortunately, women’s hormone profiles prohibit them from losing all of the fat they may want as soon as men, even while they can tone without becoming bulky.
#13 Running burns approximately 40% more calories than walking the same distance.
Walking and running burn roughly the same number of calories at similar speeds. Most people, however, can run at least twice the speed of walking. According to the Harvard study, a 155-pound person running at 9 minutes per mile (a standard training pace) expends approximately 122 calories every mile. The same person burns 85 calories per mile while jogging at a brisk pace of 17 minutes. According to this research, running burns around 40% more calories than walking.
